Erik ten Hag was reportedly not keen on signing Joshua Zirkzee and was subsequently irked when the player allegedly turned up at Manchester United overweight.
The Dutch striker, who had a standout season in Italy with Bologna, was one of the last acquisitions during Ten Hag’s tenure. However, it was the club’s new management that drove the transfer, not the former coach.
Zirkzee, heralded by some observers as a shrewd buy at £36.5million, has already raised eyebrows over the wisdom of his recruitment. Allegedly, the 23-year-old arrived in Manchester a stone heavier than expected and has struggled to shed the surplus.
According to The Sun, Ten Hag was livid as the forward was not his first choice and also showed up in less than ideal shape. Despite scoring the winning goal on his debut against Fulham, Zirkzee’s performance has been lacklustre since his initial success in August, reports the Mirror.
Ten Hag quickly lost patience with the underperforming player, who has found starting opportunities scarce. Despite making 15 appearances across all competitions, mostly as a substitute, he hasn’t scored since his debut match. His last league start was against Tottenham at the end of September.
(Image: PA)
Rasmus Hojlund has made a comeback in the squad, leaving Zirkzee struggling to make an impact when given the chance. With Ruben Amorim set to take a look at United’s faltering strike force, the pressure is on.
United’s goal-scoring woes have been central to their dismal Premier League campaign, which has seen them off to their worst start ever, languishing in the lower echelons of the table. After 10 matches, they’ve only hit the back of the net nine times, and Ten Hag has openly acknowledged their shortcomings upfront.
He admitted: “Not scoring goals, not scoring goals enough. That’s the problem, the key area. We have to score more goals as a team. I think we have players across the team who have the ability to score. That’s clear. You see all the opportunities we are creating, we are not scoring enough.”